Ryan Jinks poured in 22 points to help lead his Diamond Wildcats to a 69-58 victory over the visiting Southwest Trojans on Tuesday.

Jinks and the rest of the Wildcats’ offense got going early as they built an 18-8 lead in the first quarter. The Trojans, however, would respond with 19 points in the second as their offense began to heat up.

The Wildcats, however, scored the ball at a consistent clip all game, and that never allowed the Trojans to threaten much over the final three quarters.

“I’m glad to get past this, they’re a district team,” Wildcats coach Brandon Rabel said. “Every district win is important. We still have a lot to work on, but I’m pleased with the progress right now. I felt like going into the season the difference for us between being very average and very good was slim.”

Trent Hayes followed Jinks’ performance with 17 points of his own while Darren Russow added 10, Brodie Bien six and Cort Hardy and Even Moreland two each.